The
Competitive Grant Consortium Application of the Enhancing Education Through
Technology Program (Ed Tech Program Title II, Part D of ESEA) has been released
and is now being accepted by the Virginia Department of Education, Office of
Educational Technology.This grant is
part of the No Child Left Behind Program (NCLB).A copy of the Competitive Grant Application Instructions
booklet is enclosed and is also available online.

The No Child
Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 (www.nclb.gov)
reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA).The NCLB Act provides increased flexibility
and local control to states and school districts.It emphasizes strong accountability for results, and supports
teaching methods that have a solid scientific research foundation.

The
reauthorized ESBA establishes the Enhancing Education Through Technology
Program (Ed Tech).The primary goal of
the Ed Tech Program is to improve student academic achievement through the use
of technology in schools.

Through the
Competitive Grant Consortium Application of the program, approximately $5
million will be distributed each year for a five-year period in the form of
competitive subgrants.To maximize the
resources, the Virginia Department of Education will award eight regional
consortium grants.

School
divisions are encouraged to participate with other eligible entities as members
of a consortium and to apply for a competitive grant.Eligible entities include high-need school divisions,
institutions of higher education, for-profit businesses (including schools and
organizations), public or private nonprofit organizations.Eligible partnerships may also include LEAs,
educational services agencies, libraries or educational entities appropriate to
provide local programs.

This grant
program has two main purposes.The
first purpose is to encourage the effective integration of technology resources
and systems with the curriculum.The
second purpose is to establish research-based instructional methods that can be
widely implemented as best practices.

The focus of
the competitive grant is high-quality professional development for classroom
technology integration.The goal is to
improve teaching and learning through the appropriate utilization and
integration of technology.Grant
activities must focus on professional development to bring about appropriate
instructional technology applications, and result in an improvement in student
academic achievement.

All
applications must be submitted electronically to the Office of Educational
Technology by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2003.The electronic submissions must be sent to
the following address: PARTD@mail.vak12ed.edu
.

A hard copy
of the proposal cover sheet with the signatures of representatives of each of
the consortium partners and the assurances must be sent by surface mail and
postmarked no later than 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2003.The application should also include the
signatures of the school board chair and division superintendent for the school
that serves as the fiscal agent.These
items should be mailed to Ed Tech Competitive Grant, Attn: Gloria K. Barber,
Office of Educational Technology, James Monroe Building, 18th Floor,
101 North 14th Street, Richmond, VA 23219.

Please review
the enclosed copy of the Competitive Grant Application Instructions
booklet for specific grant information and detailed instructions for completing
the application.

If you have
questions, please contact Lan Neugent (mailto:lneugent@mail.vak12ed.edu),
assistant superintendent for technology, at 804-225-2757, 804-225-2855, or
800-292-3820.